The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for providing a sustained vaporization, either continuous or intermittent, of deodorants, air fresheners, perfumes, pest control agents, and other optional products intended to modify, condition or otherwise alter the atmosphere.
It is known in the art to dissolve an insecticidal agent capable of controlling noxious insects such as mosquitoes, a deodorant formulated to remove or cancel out unpleasant odors or a perfume which emits an aroma simulating that of a flower, fruit or the like in a solvent such as alcohol or water, fill a suitable container with the resulting dilute solution, and dispense it as a spray-mist as need arises.
It is also known to prepare a solid product from a formulation comprising a deodorant and/or an aromatic ingredient, a water-soluble high polymer and a gelling agent and allow the solid product to stand in a suitable container to thereby let it emanate the vapors of the deodorant and/or aromatic ingredient by spontaneous evaporation.
With regard to pesticides such as the insecticides for controlling mosquitoes and the like, there is also known and available an apparatus such that a small mat imbibed with the pest control agent is set in position on an electric heater plate and the heater plate is electrically energized to vaporize the pest control agent contained in the mat.
However, all of the above methods and apparatus have some disadvantages or others. Thus, although the application of a spray-mist achieves the desired result almost immediately after application, the effect falls off rapidly with time, thus requiring frequent spray applications which are troublesome.
The method employing a solid product containing the active ingredient is applicable only in cases where the active ingredient is a highly volatile substance and while the duration of effect is by far longer than that provided by spray application, this method has the drawback that the aroma is too intense during several days following unpackaging of the product and is too faint in the subsequent period. In other words, the rate of vaporization is inconstant.
The electric mosquito control mat, a typical product utilizing the third method, offers a sustained effect as compared with spray application but since the duration of effect is still of the order of hours, the mat must be replaced with a fresh one daily. In addition to the above trouble, this conventional device has the inherent disadvantage that whereas the vaporization of the active ingredient is more than sufficient in an initial stage following the start of heating, it gradually diminishes to provide only inadequate effectiveness.
The present invention has been accomplished to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art methods and devices and provides a novel method of vaporizing active substances and an apparatus for practicing the method which assure (i) a constant rate of vaporization, (ii) a controlled or programmed vaporization, and (iii) a long duration of emanation and effect of active substances.